[imText1]June 13, Kang Chul Hwan, the co-director of “Democracy Network Against North Korean Gulag” and journalist of Chonsun Ilbo met with President Bush and had a forty minutes long conversation.
Kang’s visit was after the reports came out about Bush was deeply touched with the Kang’s autobiography, “Aquariums of Pyongyang” and recommended his close people to read the book.
When Kang escaped from North Korea, his goal was to make the reality of North Korean gulags to the world, so visiting President Bush was a major step forward to reach his goal. In any case since the president of the world’s super power wanted to meet him, Kang’s visit also shun special light to the North Korean human rights movement which will interest more to the North Korean human rights.
Replacing Good People with Bad People
The writer has a personal relationship with Kang Chul Hwan. Although his sufferings and horrifying experiences are vividly described in his book, I heard so many of his behind stories. Since it looks like there is not need to hide his stories any longer, let me tell you “one” of his secrets with his partner, the other co-director of his organization, Ahn Hyuk, whom he acquainted with in the gulag.
In the testimonies of Kang Chul Hwan and Ah Hyuk, real names of the teachers from the school they attended in the gulag are often mentioned. In the gulags, security officials, in other words the guards, are also called “teacher” (in English “Mr.”). So people say Teach Kim, Teacher Yang, Teacher Lee, etc.
Among them some were cruel and some were relatively more humane. Kang and Ahn testify that they changed the names of the security officials in their testimonies. In reality, if the cruel guard was Teacher Kim and kinder guard was Teacher Yang, they would replace the name and call the cruel guard as Teacher Yang and kinder guard Teacher Kim in their testimonies. What did they do that?
While writing the testimonies the two people believed that the North Korean government will somehow obtain their testimonies and read them. They will do it to find out how much about the gulags are revealed. Then the “high office” would find out about how the security officials treat the prisoners and in principle, the nicer guards are considered as “not working properly.” In such a case, the nicer guards will be punished.
It was the least they could do in order to described bad ones as nicer ones to punish them and nicer ones as bad ones in order to protect them.
When I heard this, I felt a corner of my heart aching. How much grudge would they be holding in order to have such kind of calculation while writing? In days later, I helped them edit their writing, and during the revision they consulted with me and we replaced all the names. They taught me one of important “skills.”
The Gulags Produces Goods for Common Society
There are still people in South Korea who do not believe in the existence of the gulags. There are nearly ten North Korean defectors who have lived in political concentration camps (in South Korea) and their testimonies in many part overlap with one another. I wonder what more there must be done to make them believe the truth. Instead, they are pursuing appeasement and cooperation with such a cruel government, or there still people supporting such government, this is truly an unfortunate reality.
I cannot help watching those currently participation in the “The 5th Anniversary of the 6.15 South-North Joint Declaration Minjok Unification Grand Festival” with anxiety.
Originally there were ten North Korean gulags but due to the international society’s criticisms and danger of exposure, it reduced the number to five. It is predicted that about 150,000~ 200,000 people are imprisoned in the gulags.
The gulags do not have set fences or other mechanisms of control but it is a natural prison by making a designated area entirely closed. For this reason, the gulags look as same as any other villages from the satellite.
Although difficult to be distinguished by satellite pictures houses, buildings, farms and mountains only as dot , there thousands of prisoners surviving through hell even today. Their moaning is heard and the smell of their blood is spreading.
The prisoners produce high quality productions which are to be distributed to the common people. The gulag #22 located in Huiryeong of North Hamkyung province mainly produce agricultural products and livestock, gulag #25 located in Chongjin of North Hamkyung province is known for producing bicycles. The gulag #16 located in Hwasung district of North Hamkyung province is known to extract button mushrooms which earn foreign currency, and the gulag #15 located in Yoduk of South Hamkyung province is known for mining producing agricultural products.
“They are eating and drinking the blood of the North Korean People”
In the end of 2002, I met a North Korean defectors from Pyongyang in China who used to work in North Korea’s trade company before he defected. I talked to him over few days, and once when we were having meal, we came across with the scenes of banquet held in Koryeo Hotel (located in Pyongyang) on South Korean Satellite cable TV (in China). Watching the scenes, the defectors put down his spoon angrily.
“Darn those bad guys…”
I asked him what happened all of sudden but he asked me back, “Do you know where the food that they are eating came from?” When I told him I had no idea, he said, “most of them are products from gulags.” He knew because he used to work at transferring necessaries to Koyreo Hotel.
The pork dishes served at Koryeo Hotel to the foreigners have pigs raised at the gulag #22. He said the quality of pigs is good. The chili paste is also from the gulag #22 and the button mushroom South Korean visitors are enjoying must be either from the gulag #16 or what the youth People’s Army soldiers may have picked.
He said “they are eating and drinking the tears and blood of the North Korean people,” while staring at the TV with his eyes flaming.
President Roh Must Also Meet Kang Chul Hwan
Of course, I am not saying the South Korean government representatives should not eat or drink when they visit to North Korea. I am just warning them that while they are hallucinating with a temporary solution such as appeasement and cooperation, there are North Korean people who cry out for anger. I am warning them one more time; they are spending a good time now, but in close future, it will come back to them with punishment.
In the preface of the recent (revised) edition of his book, “The Aquariums of Pyongyang,” Kang wrote, “Although I was happy to hear President Bush read my book, I still hope President Roh Moo Hyun reads the testimonies the North Korean defectors wrote with their tears.” Would it be too much to wish Kang’s hope would not end in mere prayers?
